This last week has been fairly slow since it has been mostly classroom work. We had a 12 page Op Order given at 7 p.m. due at 7 a.m. the next morning which sucked, but otherwise nothing too big.
Then there was the Endurance Course yesterday. It is five miles through the 'Quantico highlands' which means the wooded terrain and all the hills that entails. There are some obstacles to go over, some of which include sewage (calling it water is a disrespect to water everywhere). It is all kicked off by running the Obstacle Course. To max it out, guys have to run it under 60 minutes and females have to do it in under 70 minutes. To pass the guys have to finish under 80 minutes and the females 90 minutes.
All of that isn't so bad though. I've ran the E-Course 4 times before yesterday; however, yesterday was the first time with the full load. We had our assault packs full to capacity, our FLC's had the usual items with full canteens, we had to wear our kevlar helmets during certain portions, and of course, we had to carry our rifles.
I ended up running it in 70 minutes flat. This wasn't a 70 minute stroll either. It was 70 minutes of physical and mental torture. The physical is obvious because we weren't used to running with that much weight on our bodies. The mental was the worst part because you end up walking for a large portion of the course. Now I'm not in the greatest shape of my life but I am in good shape and I consider myself mentally tough. When I had to stop and walk I was beating myself up in my head for being weak (much nicer than the thoughts actually going through my head but you get the idea).
I talked with others and, thankfully, this was the norm for the entire company. We had 13 failures out of 41 in the platoon and 90 failures out of 240 in the company. It was a gut check for everyone and highlighted some areas that need attention! I suppose I won't be able to say 'I'm better off resting tonight than getting some PT in,' anymore!
Congrats to Eddie and Kari on their good news of a baby on the way! There will be another congrats posted for someone else once I get the OK to start talking about it. ;) Take care and God bless all!
Mike~
1 comment:
I don't have yours or Precious' emails, but I just wanted to say congrats on getting stationed! We are going to miss you so terribly, but as much as it makes me want to cry, I am just as happy for you at the same time! I hope you love it there and I hope we are able to save up to come visit! Love you and miss you two - Carly
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